March is Women’s History Month, and it is the perfect time to do something to honor women veterans. In northeastern Pennsylvania we do it with a low-key tea party.
Gardner Warner Post 154 in Montrose, and District 15 and District 11 in Pennsylvania, have jointly sponsored the third biannual Women Veterans and Friends Afternoon Tea at the Gino Merli Veterans Center in Scranton, Pa.
Each resident woman veteran was given a flower to remind her that we remember her and honor her service to our country.
Other residents of the center are welcome to attend the event as well, and many do so.
Women veterans from the area, and friends of women veterans, are also invited to take part. It’s a nice opportunity to get together as women veterans and celebrate other women veterans.
Janice Gavern, 15th District Deputy Commander, Woman Veterans Issues, initiated the events and continues to run them. The tea gives her the opportunity to talk about the legacy of women veterans and remind them how far they have come.
This time Gavern talked about the long and varied history of women and the military, from the women dressed as men during the Revolutionary War, to the nurses in all the wars, to the women who fly fighter aircraft into combat today.
She also mentioned Michelle Obama’s recent request to women veterans that they talk about their experiences, because their daughters and granddaughters need to know about them.
She concluded with information about her continuing efforts to identify and research women veterans from the local area who served in World War I and World War II. Their stories will be registered with the Women in Military Service for America, the nonprofit organization that manages the Women’s Memorial at Arlington Cemetery. Their patriotism and service will not be forgotten.
The afternoon concluded with tea and goodies, and pleasant talk.